In late 1944, Sweikert enrolled in the US Army Air Force, but suffered a severe knee injury while training at Lowry Field in Colorado. Donald Davidson, historian for the Indianapolis 500, said Sweikert is highly regarded among those familiar with the sports heritage. The track has 33 degrees of banking in the corners. Salem Speedway is a .555 miles (0.893 km) long paved oval racetrack in Washington Township, Washington County, near Salem, Indiana, United States, approximately 100 miles (160 km) south of Indianapolis. AUTO RACING: Salem Speedway has new owner DANIEL SUDDEATH daniel.suddeath@newsandtribune.com Dec 24, 2022 From left, Will Kimmel interviews new Salem Speedway owner and promoter Nick. The boys 33-year-old father arrived at the pool shortly The tire hit a concrete barrier in front of the grandstand. That wasnt what qualified him as an early victim of the SI jinx. Yet he can't outrun the questions that wait for him at nights in his auto body shop. It had been there in my head and in my heart for a long time, she said. February 27, 2023 (100 years old) View obituary. "When it came down, it came down on us.". Sweikert was pronounced dead upon arrival at Washington County Hospital. He is tied with Pat Flaherty for the record of the driver with the fewest points to have won a race. Always open. He ran seventy-two races that first BCRA season, finishing 14th out of 130 active members in the annual point standings. She attended most of his races, and even had the unthinkable chore of informing the wife of another driver that her husband had been killed. Amant. ". Layton, Utah. With months to heal and the war over, he was honorably discharged in September 1945. I wanted what he wanted, she said. [1] The track closed in May 1995 when he declared bankruptcy. She never saw danger coming. They entered the pool area through a gap in the high fence (key) (Bold Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Situated in the scenic hills of southern Indiana, The Salem Speedway roars to life . "Fans are their own worst enemy," says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. Sweikerts car flew over the outside wall, through a photographers booth and crash-landed in a weed patch. Vogler, who would have been 40 on Thursday, raced in five Indianapolis 500s. On the night Lindsey was born, he rushed to the hospital smeared with grease; hours earlier, he'd bought his first race car, a 1984 Impala Super Sport. "I have 200 fires to put out," track president Doug McManus says. And with good reason; with 33-degree banking in the corners, Salem Speedway was built in 1947 with all out speed in mind. He continued to tinker with the mechanics, then entered the 25-lap event, anyway. But I'm doing therapy every day.". That car now resides in the Museum at the Indianapolis racetrack. [3], Vogler finished seventeenth in his only NASCAR Busch Series start at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1988.[4]. In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car championship in 1980. 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None of todays safeguards existed then. It bounded free down the small-track straightaway and into the pits, slamming off a car's hood and leaping, faster than fright, into the Salem (Ind.) At their funeral, the Rev. Learn More Gil was a popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the area before joining the United States Auto Club sprint car circuit. "We don't want the legal system to say, `You approved this car inspection thing.' Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. Vogler was the National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing (NAMAR) midget champion in 1973. Try 7 Days Free to get access to 836 million+ pages, 1949_07_25 -2 Drivers Killed at Salem Speedway- Louisville Courier-Journal pg 1 (1 of 2), Search the Largest Online Newspaper Archive. "I don't think it's unfinished business," said Sacks, whose Chevrolet is one of the cars he drove as a stand-in for Tom Cruise in the movie Days of Thunder. SALEM, IND. Eugene Gerber, bishop of Wichita's Roman Catholic diocese and a family friend, tried to console the mournful. Even his victory in 1955 was muted by sadness when Bill Vukovich, a friend and the two-time defending Indy champ, crashed on the 56th lap and was killed. Clipping found in The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky on Jul 25, 1949. Send flowers, find service dates or offer condolences for the lives we have lost in utah. No other cars were involved. Other tracks have taken a similarly reactive approach to tragedy. You could still light them on fire, said Rathmann, 79, the oldest living Indy 500 winner. The Salem Speedway joined The Hills circuit in 1947, and immediately demonstrated its potential for disaster. In April 1991, Winchester Speedway began the annual season-opening Rich Vogler Classic sprint car race, usually the first race at the track each year. On Memorial Day, May 26, 1947 Sweikert ran his first race for prize money at the Oakland Speedway, and finished second. The two often raced together, and Boyd qualified for entry in the 1955 Indianapolis 500 when Sweikert helped him overcome mechanical handling problems in Boyd's car. The wheel, witnesses would say later, bounced through the unrepaired hole in the fence, then struck Baker above his right eye. As a sad, ironic twist, Sweikerts tragedy helped fuel Marjorie Ann Bitter. Not now. In the 1950s, talent won races, but luck decided who lived and died on the track. On September 17, 1922 Roscoe Sarles, a respected racer with six AAA feature wins and four starts at Indy, broke a steering knuckle on his Durant, tangled with Pete He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. Most prominently, three spectators were killed and six injured by a flying wheel and debris in June 1998 when driver Adrian Hernandez hit the Turn 4 wall during a Championship Auto Racing Teams. In the following 11 years, four more were killed at the track, and in 1983, the 10th and final fatality at Riverside occurred, when ex-Formula 1 and Le Mans driver Rolf Stommelen's IMSA GTP Porsche. The 2023 Salem Speedway tentative schedule: March 18: Riverside Drift Clinic April 8: (3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt) Open Practice for all divisions April 16: (Season Opener) GAS, CVBT, CVST,. Vogler, leading the race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn. For as long as he remembers, his view of Saturday nights was framed by the edges of a driver's helmet. Track officials voiced the same hesitance. Sweikert's car, on the outside, brushed a piece of metal . His mother had married his stepfather, an electrician for the state of California, when Bob was an infant. I saw him coming out of the fourth turn, he and Ed up so high, Dorie Sweikert said. The Indianapolis native raced in five Indianapolis 500s. Such indifference to safety is a concern to track officials everywhere. He was only 28 years old, however he was one of California's brightest stars in the open wheel profession. Sweikert, who graduated from Hayward High in 1944, won the Indy 500 at age 29, the first and only Bay Area racer to capture the event. The .555-Mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banked turns was built strictly for speed. ''Rich saw his father die,'' said Marvel. Vogler, who was leading the event at the time and was about to take the white flag signaling one lap to go, hit head on with the turn 4 wall, violently throwing tires, Vogler's helmet, and other pieces of Vogler's car all over the track. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Salem Speedway. Coming out of the 4th turn, the two cars started down the straightaway in front of the grandstand. On September 11, 1954 Sweikert became the first driver ever to average 90mph (140km/h) in a 100-mile (160km) race, with his win in the Lutes Truck Parts Special #17 car at the Eastern Speed Dome in Syracuse. USAC, however, did not see Vogler waive Fittipaldi by, and, as a result, they penalized Fittipaldi two laps. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap at the alf-mile oval in a race televised nationally by ESPN. After a complicated, sometimes off-and-on courtship, they were married in 1953. In between, she got her first taste of the sport and it terrified her. Handsome, charismatic, courageous, smart, successful, and on top of the world, Sweikerts life ended in tragedy when his yellow No. He would have raced, anyway.. Sweikert was completing just his fourth lap as Oakland driver Ed Elisians car seemed to push Sweikert gradually higher and higher up the banked track. In early 1948, he married Marion Edwards. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked No. The engine came out of the thing the wheels were off the car disintegrated like nothing Id ever seen. Perhaps in part because Bob Sweikert refused to accept fear, Dorie convinced herself he was safe from harm. The Winston Cup season leader easily beat Schrader's 157.219 mph in qualifying Friday. Running close to the wall, Sweikert's right rear wheel clipped a steel beam sticking out onto the track from the wall at the end of the stands. Drive. Robert Charles Sweikert (May 20, 1926 June 17, 1956) was an American racing driver, best known as the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis 500 and the 1955 National Championship, as well as the 1955 Midwest Sprint car championship - the only driver in history to sweep all three in a single season. As firemen worked, the Rev. One of his frequent local competitors on the streets was Ed Elisian, a teenage boy from nearby Oakland, California. Mrs. Sweikerts last order before leaving Indianapolis, the neighbors said, was that the fence be completed at once. 2894 Gallahad Drive, around the corner from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid. Stadium, Arena & Sports Venue in Salem, Indiana. A grim reminder of the darkness of the board-track era of the 1920s. ), Complete USAC Mini-Indy (Formula Super Vee) Results, Last edited on 28 September 2022, at 18:41, Biography at the Rich Vogler Memorial Scholarship Fund, Driver profile Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, NASCAR Statistics at racing-reference.info, NASCAR Winston Cup results from July Pocono race, Rich Vogler Memorial Scholarship Fund webpage, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rich_Vogler&oldid=1112909876, This page was last edited on 28 September 2022, at 18:41. And there were sad ones. 1 sprint car, just one year after he won the worlds most famous race, tumbled over the turn one wall at Salem Speedway. The track has 33 degrees of banking in the corners. The names, logos, and other source identifying features of newspapers depicted in our database are the trademarks of their respective owners, and our use of newspaper content in the public domain or by private agreement does not imply any affiliation with, or endorsement from, the publishers of the newspaper titles that appear on our site. The series has visited Salem more than any other track in its almost 70-year history. Most race fans don't. James Tomlinson, 5 years old, and Anthony Tomlinson, 3, lost It will be a process of getting those done over the next several years. Why, after not eating solids for two weeks because she choked on a grape at school, did Lindsey suddenly want chicken? Fifty years later, her memories of those days paint a picture of the entire experience. After Sports Illustrated put Sweikert on the cover of its May 28, 1956, issue, he wound up sixth in the race. A year later, on June 17, 1956, Sweikert, just turned 30, was killed when his sprint car shot over the edge of the high-banked, half-mile track at Salem, Ind. Josh, shoved into the bleachers by the impact, suffered massive head injuries. History [ edit] Sweikert's mother, Grace, often visited Bob's firstborn until Grace died. I didnt see him airborne.. This year's Fall Classic at the .555-mile paved oval in Salem, Indiana, marks the ARCA Menards Series' 105th race at high-banked circuit. That was Bobs favorite of the half-mile tracks, Dorie Sweikert said. Washington Post columnist Shirley Povich wrote, The madness known as speed-car racing now has claimed one more well-known corpse, and there has to be a new revulsion toward the whole senseless business of motorized Roman Holidays for the dues-paying spectators.. That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the 1950s. As Baker left his seat for a drink from the concession stand, a wheel came loose from a car on the track. I know that sounds corny, but thats the way it was. [2] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC. Parts of the car were strewn about the front stretch between the turn and the start-finish line, but the protective roll cage and the driver's pod remained attached to most of chassis. [2] The ARCA qualifying record is 16.785 seconds/119.035mph by Gary Bradberry in 1994.[6]. Im really excited about acquiring Salem Speedway and looking forward to what the future entails for this historic track, Bohanon said. Saturday's sponsor is Crosleybrands.com. Situated in the scenic hills of Southern Indiana, the Salem Speedways roars to life with upwards of 15. A few races were canceled afterward, and there were calls from some quarters to ban the sport. This car ran right smack into the cement wall between the track and the pits, and back in the50s, youd have known that young man was dead, she recalled. Of course, it saved a lot of lives.. 47K views, 969 likes, 76 loves, 119 comments, 367 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from History Mystery Man: Salem Speedway is one of the most iconic race tracks in America. "I still love to go to races," Cynthia says now. three weeks ago to make her home. Sweikert was born in Los Angeles, California. "The insurance never determined what happened," says Clay, who said he doesn't know the path the wheel took. At the time, Vogler was scheduled to run the full Winston Cup Series in the near-future for U.S. I had a son who was killed in a crash as well.''. In a 1998 incident, an out-of-control race car climbed over a fence at a Phoenix speedway and came to rest just 15 feet from fan seating. [2] A thunderstorm had ripped the roof off the grandstands and fences were damaged. The following morning, in part because of Vogler's testimony, the penalty was overturned and Fittipaldi was credited with the runner-up position. 1,509 were here. Im ready to get started on making improvements as soon as the weather lets us. Was that what went wrong? Bradway died from injuries suffered in a tragic sprint car crash during the Super Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Washington State on June 21, 1987. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. No other cars were involved and no other injuries reported. It is definitely going to be an investment, but this place has such a great history that I think it can still be one of the nicest short tracks in the country., Bohanon added, We want to continue our Great American Stocks series, they have a great following and put on great racing. I had to work very hard at that, not to make it a negative. While completing the third lap, Sweikert was running near the outside wall in 4th place, side by side with his past teenage East Bay streets rival, Ed Elisian, in 5th. He said, I still cant relax. He said this was just one race. [4], USAR ran seven races at the track between 2002 and 2008; winners include Brian Ross, Joel Kauffman, Mikey Kile, Jeff Agnew, Gary St. Waltrip, preparing to make his 500th NASCAR start in that July 7 race, sustained a slight concussion and broke his left leg the day before in a crash in practice and couldn't start. During 1947 Sweikert began mailing monthly accounts of his life to Veda Orr, through April 1956. Bob Sweikert participated in 5 World Championship races. office. Paved Oval located in Salem, IN: Track Status: Still In Operation (Opened: 1947 ) TOURING SERIES & MAJOR EVENTS ; Date Sanction Winner Laps 22 June 1947: AAA Midwest Big Car Series: Vogler remained motionless for several minutes before being removed by ambulance. From age 16 Sweikert worked after school as a mechanic at the local Ford dealership in Hayward. That year the family moved briefly to San Francisco, then across the bay to the rural town of Hayward, California. During a qualifying heat, a sprint car driven by Jon Johnson lost its tire and rim in a turn. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to The six tracks with the most driver deaths Many people, including drivers, crew members, officials and spectators, have been killed in crashes related to the sport of auto racing, in races, in qualifying, in practice or in private testing sessions. TOLEDO, Ohio (Feb. 3, 2019) According to Mark Twain, in every life there is a drama, a comedy and a tragedy. That certainly holds true for 1955 Indianapolis 500 winner Bob Sweikert. The event at one of the iconic short tracks in the county is being . in the driveway beside the vacant house. For over 65 years Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned race tracks in America. Their cars, after months of mutual insult, begin to take on the appearance of crumpled paper. "He would be going if it were me that died. Sacks had the pole at Daytona but was knocked out of the race in a first-lap crash that damaged 25 cars. Johnson's car, said C. Ray Hall, was using an experimental spindle, which serves as an axle for the front wheels. their lives while wading in the pool behind Sweikerts house at 5301 Lancelot [1] In 1987 he won the inaugural Chili Bowl Midget Nationals race. At least 70 have been injured, some suffering life-altering afflictions, including a Florida father of three now living in a New Jersey home for people with brain damage. The 2023 Salem Speedway tentative schedule: April 8: (3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt) Open Practice for all divisions, April 16: (Season Opener) GAS, CVBT, CVST, Scrappers, May 7: (Derby Hangover Twin 75s) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, June 3: ASA/CRA Super Series, JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, GAS, June 17: (Semis on The High Banks) Semis, CVBT, Scrappers, July 1-2: (Firecracker 200 Weekend) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, Legends, July 22: (Midwest Street Stock Battle and Late Models) GAS, CRA Street Stocks, CRA Late Model Sportsman, CVBT, Aug. 19: (Dollar Beer and Cruise In) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, Scrappers, Sept. 9: (End of Summer 100) GAS, CVBT, CVST, Legends, Oct. 21-22: (Halloween 200 Weekend) Halloween 200, CVBT 200, CVST, MF8, 602 Stocks, Scrappers, Bloomington Speedway releases 2023 schedule. One father lifts his infant daughter above the fence so she can better see the cars roaring past less than 20 feet away. Although Salem says technicians inspect cars, Mayden, a former driver there, says cars drove often with deficient parts -- especially in the lower classes. He won 1 race and accumulated a total of 8 championship points. Greg Sacks had his fill of those in the last race, the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, Fla., where accidents ruined the weekend for both drivers. Find the History Mystery Man on social media! Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. The Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series returns to the race track . Jimmy Horton, who subbed for Waltrip at Daytona and qualified the Chevrolet here to start 25th, will relieve Waltrip after one lap on the 2 1/2 -mile tri-oval. But there are those who think he adapted to the track as well as anybody. Drivers, nursing accumulated grudges, satisfy them on and off the track. The bodies were taken to the Conkle West 16th Salem Speedway is a .555 miles (0.893km) long paved oval racetrack in Washington Township, Washington County, near Salem, Indiana, United States, approximately 100 miles (160km) south of Indianapolis. which Sweikert was building of tall cedar stakes when he was killed at Salem, They had a large family wedding in West L.A. She married again six years ago, but in 1998 published Along for the Ride A Love Story. The book is a personal, poignant and sometimes painful look back on her time with Bob Sweikert. [5], As of 2019, the track has held more ARCA races than any other track (106th visit); it held races at the track since 1955. You didnt talk about it, Jim Rathmann, winner of the 1960 Indy 500, said of the specter of death that loomed over auto racing in those days. Sweikert and his wife, Dolores, were the parents of four children Then came a June 17 sprint car race at Salem Speedway. He won the Fireman Nationals midget car race at Angell Park Speedway in 1985. Sam was sitting on the driveway, Fifteen were gone within just seven years. It would do no good for anyone to tell Bob Sweikert to quit racing. Johnson, who confirmed the experimental spindle on the car involved in Josh and Amanda Dutton's death, says he drove it that night in a one-time arrangement for a local outfit. Sheriff Robert A. ONeal ordered the pool be drained. Father Kavanagh, their parish [2] He won USAC National Sprint Car Series championships in 1980 and 1989, USAC National Midget Series championships in 1978, 1980, 1983, 1986, and 1988. Follow Ken de . Veda wrote many racing articles. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana. For Dorie Sweikert, the loss never really went away. Read More. Before this season, he had 122 victories in sprints, midgets and dirt cars. Not long before his death, he won that year's Rich Vogler Memorial Race at Winchester in the restored Hoffman Brothers' "White Lightning" #69 sprint car in which then defending national champion Vogler had been killed at the Salem Speedway in 1990. Last edited on 17 December 2022, at 23:08, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob_Sweikert&oldid=1128015419, This page was last edited on 17 December 2022, at 23:08. Salem has, however, put up a new fence separating the infield from the pits. This event be an action packed weekend full of racing and fun. It was completed about the time There were no space-age helmets and flame-proof racing suits. His 134 wins (95 Midget, 35 Sprint, and four Silver Crown wins) in national events is second only to A. J. Foyt's 169. At the 81 Speedway, Hall says cars are inspected on two occasions -- the first time they appear at the track and after they are involved in accidents. [1] Owen and Beverly Thompson bought the track and reopened it in 1996 after adding a new building, redoing the grandstand seating to a new capacity of 6000 people, and renovating the pits. With the deaths have come questions -- about track fencing, about uninspected cars, about supervision in restricted areas. "I'm happy to be in the front of the field, even if it's not on the pole.". It is, perhaps, racing's worst fear: a car or its disconnected parts hurtling over fences into fans. About. Newspapers.com makes these newspapers available for the purpose of historical research, and is not responsible for the content of any newspapers archived at our site. Carol Ann Williams. It is too late, he thinks. Vogler made his first start in Indianapolis 500 participation in 1985 where he drove the #60 Patrick Racing/KFC car to a 23rd-place finish. Learn how your comment data is processed. "Some people said it went over the fence." 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